Audi unveils world-first suspension system for next-gen A8

Flagship limousine promises improved comfort and safety.

Audi unveils world-first suspension system for next-gen A8

Audi's next-generation A8 flagship will be able to read the road ahead, reduce the severity of a crash and offer a broad variety of driving behaviour when it arrives in 2019.

The brand has offered a glimpse into the technology underpinning its full-sized sedan ahead of the model's official unveiling in July.

At its core, the A8 uses new 48-volt electric architecture designed to support more powerful electronics than existing systems. The brand first offered 48-volt systems on its SQ7 performance SUV (which uses the hardware to power an electric turbocharger), but the new A8 pushes the technology further than before.

All four wheels on the A8 are attached to suspension AND equipped with a powerful electric motor capable of exerting 1100Nm of force through an arrangement of gears, rods and levers.

The motors are not used to drive the wheels.

Instead, they apply force as required to control the car's movements, reading the road ahead to offer a comfortable ride in conjunction with conventional air suspension. It sounds similar to the camera-based Magic Body Control offered by the current Mercedes S-Class, but Audi promises to go further with electric suspension that works to counter-act body roll when cornering or pitching under acceleration and braking.

The system syncs with new four-wheel-steering to give the limo-sized machine a smaller turning circle than the A4, promising more agility than drivers expect of a car this size.

Better still, the new A8's suspension is capable of mitigating potentially deadly side-impact crashes. If sensors surrounding the car predict that it will be T-boned, the suspension will raise that side of the car by 80mm to try and use strong elements of the door sill and underfloor to absorb crash energy, rather than relying purely on its door structures.

Full details surrounding the A8 have not been released. But we expect it to push the boundaries of autonomous driving while offering next-level interior electronics and a range of efficient engines.